2 Arrested Over Death Threat

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested two individuals alleged to have issued death threat to Mike Ampong, New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Greater Accra Regional Director of Communications.

Both the NPP and the police are tight-lipped about the identity of the individuals.

The NPP First Vice Chairman, Fred Oware, in a telephone conversation with DAILY GUIDE on Wednesday, said the Police are still investigating the matter and has frowned at any attempt to unveil the identity of the suspects.

Mr. Ampong hinted the police early this week about death threats from some faceless individuals within the party after he had lashed out at Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie aka Sir John, the General Secretary of the NPP.

His contention was the apparent dogged posture of Sir John that the party would maintain the incumbent flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for the 2016 presidential elections.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, Mr Ampong stated that he was not against the candidature of Nana Akufo-Addo; rather, he felt Sir John jumped the gun by tabling the next presidential candidate when the party was still hurting from two significant defeats. The party is currently doing introspection on what went wrong that cost them both the presidential elections in 2012 and subsequently the Supreme Court petition filed by the NPP flagbearer and two others.

But according to Mr. Oware, the suspects for the alleged death threats told the police that they were forced into the act because Mr. Ampong who is perceived to be aligned to an opposing faction in the NPP, featured on a radio station widely seen as antagonistic to the NPP to castigate Sir John and his suggestions.

Covert AgendaCritics within the NPP believe that Mike Ampong’s strong criticisms were just a front for Kwadwo Alan Kyerematen who is alleged to be nursing a presidential ambition on the quiet.

He has been accused of being induced financially by the Kyerematen faction within the party to discredit the call for a Nana Addo candidature.

He has, however, denied all these claims, saying he is not an anti-Akufo-Addo protagonist in the NPP. ‘How can I be?’ he asked rhetorically, recounting all the support he had given to the candidature of Akufo-Addo, in the run up to the December 2012 elections.

‘In my petition [to the Police], I made request for three things: They had claimed that I have gone for money from people to destroy Nana Akufo-Addo; they had claimed that I am opposed to Nana Akufo-Addo’s second coming, which is a lie. They have branded me as somebody who is a factionist; somebody trying to project a particular candidate against Nana Akufo-Addo, which is a lie,’ he told DAILY GUIDE.

The embattled director of communications hinted at dropping the charges against the accosted culprits if they showed remorse and apologized. ‘They have done so much harm to my reputation and credibility and I want them to come out and render an unqualified apology publicly,’ he said.

He maintained his disdain for the General Secretary of the party, saying he is trying to ride on the back of Nana Akufo-Addo to retain his seat, following a number of goofs and embarrassment he had brought to the party. ‘The General Secretary had wanted to circumvent our constitution; the General Secretary has never been a unifier in this party and had wanted to ride on the shoulders of our flagbearer who is very popular to get himself entrenched in office. For me I think it is very sad.’

As at press time on Wednesday, the two suspects had been granted bail and are expected to report themselves to the CID today in the company of Mr. Ampong and the Vice Chairman.